2 Lizards
This week I went to visit the installation 2 Lizards by Meriem Bennani and Orian Bark at the Whitney. 2 Lizards is a film that shows the life of humanoid animals experiencing what it was like the first few months of the Covid Pandemic.
When I entered the Whitney I did not know which way to go until I saw the lizard footprints on the ground guiding the audience to the screening room. I walked in towards the end of the video but do not feel that it took away from my experience. If anything walking in towards the end, watching the film in full and then seeing the ending again intensified the impact of my experience with the installation.
I wrote a few thoughts down as they appeared while watching 2 Lizards.
Does the film using animals instead of humans create more feelings of empathy from the viewer?
The music compliments the animation and story well
I couldn’t help associating animals with extinction
the massive amounts of human deaths that happened during the pandemic and seeing animals (although these animals are not endangered) had me think about extinction of humans
There is a scene where someone comments on how difficult it could be to be the one in charge of a racial inequality group
Towards the end of the pandemic and when schools were opening back up my university started to organize a group for those who are impacted by the racial inequality in the country
Unfortunately due to the lack of group members a handful of my classmates and I were left to create direction for the meetings
During this time we not only had the pandemic killing people but there was a growing visibility of the murders done by cops around the country
All this to say, the film brought back the heavy feeling I had throughout the pandemic but not necessarily in a negative way
Something that feels important to note is this installation is free of charge. The Lobby Gallery is always free at the Whitney. Choosing to show this in the Lobby over inside the Whitney is imperative, at least to my perception and feelings towards the film. A powerful and national experience represented well through film should be accessible to the public without a financial barrier.
